ECOWAS Court Slams FG With N15m Damages, Orders Immediate Release Of Dasuki

THE Court of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS has declared the arrest and detention of former National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) as infringement of his fundamental human rights and therefore ordered his immediate release alongside a sum of N15million as damages.

Dasuki is facing multiple trials for alleged diversion of $2.1 billion meant for the purchase of arms in the immediate past administration. He is also accused of illegal possession of fire arms. Following his loss of confidence in the technicality in the Nigeria's courts, he approached the ECOWAS court after he was rearrested by members of Nigeria’s State Security Service shortly after meeting his bail conditions in November last year.

The ex-NSA has remained in the custody of the SSS since his arrest. In a judgment by a three-member panel led by Justice Friday Nwoke, the court ruled that Nigeria’s government was wrong in arresting Mr. Dasuki without a search warrant, adding that the pattern of arrest negates the provisions of Section 28 of the Nigerian Police Act. According to the said section, a superior police officer may authorise the search of a resident belonging to a suspect assumed to be in illegal possession of an item, if the officer so authorised has a search warrant.Hence, the court declared his arrest and detention illegal and unconstitutional.